Microsoft Office Uninstall Tool in 2026: Every Method That Still Works

The Microsoft Office uninstall tool is Microsoft’s free way to remove Office completely when Settings fails or leaves pieces behind. In 2026 it runs inside the Get Help app. GetHelpCmd.exe is its command-line form, for Office 2024 and for many PCs.

The older SaRA tool and OffScrub scripts are gone, and we cover every method that still works.

1. Settings or Control Panel: the normal uninstall, always the first try.
2. The Get Help troubleshooter: Microsoft’s uninstall tool for a stuck or broken Office.
3. GetHelpCmd.exe: the same tool from the command line, for Office 2024 and scripted removals.
4. The Office Scrubber script: a community script for the rare leftovers.
5. Repair first: a repair often saves the uninstall altogether.

In late 2026 it comes in two forms. Home users get the uninstall troubleshooter inside the Get Help app. Admins get the command line version of Get Help, GetHelpCmd.exe, which also handles Office 2024.

Before either of them, we’d try Settings, Apps. It still finishes the job on most PCs.

The tooling changed in 2026: the SaRA command line utility left Windows updates in March, and Microsoft’s uninstall page now opens Get Help.

• The old SaRA command line utility was removed from Windows updates on March 10, 2026.
• The Get Help troubleshooter still can’t remove Office 2024.
• The SetupProd_OffScrub.exe file every older tutorial links to isn’t what Microsoft’s own page hands you any more.

Below is what works now, in the order we try it.

The Microsoft Office uninstall tool in 2026

It’s a free Microsoft troubleshooter that removes every trace of Office.

• Program files.
• Registry keys.
• Scheduled tasks.
• Click-to-Run services.
• Licensing tokens.

In 2026 it runs inside the Get Help app on Windows 10 and 11, with a command line edition for IT admins. It replaced the Support and Recovery Assistant, SaRA.

Here’s how the current options compare. Two are Microsoft tools, one is a Windows feature, and one is a community script.

How to remove Office: which method to use

Pick by symptom, and work from the lightest method up.

1. Uninstall from Settings, Apps or Control Panel.
2. If that errors out or freezes, run the Get Help troubleshooter.
3. For Office 2024 or many PCs, use GetHelpCmd.exe.
4. Keep the community Office Scrubber for the rare case where every Microsoft tool has failed.

Never done this before? Go through Method 1, then Method 2. On home PCs that pair is usually enough.

If Settings already threw an error, skip ahead to Method 2. On a machine with Office 2024, go to Method 3.

What to back up first

A full scrub deletes Office settings folders. It never deletes your documents.

On the PC, this line shows the last five characters of the installed key, not the full key:

cscript "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office16\OSPP.VBS" /dstatus

One trap. The old wmic command with OA3xOriginalProductKey that you may see elsewhere reads the Windows key from the firmware. It doesn’t read an Office key. Other places to look? We list them in where to find an Office product key.

Classic Outlook keeps signatures in that folder on the PC. Skip the copy, and you rebuild every signature by hand.

Locked files are the top reason uninstalls freeze. That’s why everything Office has to be closed first.

If you’re not sure what you customized, we’d copy the whole settings folder from the table above to a USB stick. It’s small, and you can pick files out of it later.

What the deep cleanup removes

A normal uninstall deletes the program files and Start menu shortcuts, then stops. The uninstall tool goes further.

Your documents stay where they are, in Documents or OneDrive.

Does any of this matter? Often not. Reinstall the same version over the leftovers, and it comes back clean.

Three cases are different. Switching editions, moving from 32-bit to 64-bit, or chasing a “product deactivated” loop.

There every leftover becomes a tripwire, and the uninstall tool earns its keep. For everything else, Settings is plenty.

Repair first, then the Office uninstall tool

Often a repair is the better move. If Office opens but crashes, won’t update or shows activation errors, a repair fixes it in place and keeps your settings.

• Close all Office apps.
• Open Settings, Apps, Installed apps. Click the three-dot menu on your Office entry and choose Modify.
• Pick Quick Repair and click Repair.
• If it’s still broken, run Modify again and choose Online Repair.

Quick Repair keeps the license and your settings. That alone makes it worth a try before any uninstall tool.

An add-in that won’t load, a Click-to-Run service that crashes, Word stuck on a splash screen. Quick Repair handles those without touching the license.

Uninstall only when a repair fails or the version itself has to change.

Method 1: Settings or Control Panel

This removes Click-to-Run and MSI installs of every current version, Office 2024 included. Restart afterwards.

Windows 11 Settings

• Press Win + I and open Apps, then Installed apps.
• Type Office or Microsoft 365 in the search box.
• Click the three-dot menu on the Office row and select Uninstall. Then confirm.
• Wait two to five minutes on an SSD. An old hard drive takes longer.
• Restart. Files held by running services are only released on reboot, so skipping this defeats half the point.

Control Panel on Windows 10 and 11

• Press the Windows key, type control panel and press Enter.
• Open Programs, then Programs and Features.
• Find the Office entry.
• Right-click it, choose Uninstall and confirm. Restart when it finishes.

One catch trips people up. A suite is one installed product, so you can’t remove Word and keep Excel. It’s all or nothing.

That goes for Microsoft 365 Family, Office Home 2024 and Microsoft 365 Business Standard alike.

Standalone Project and Visio are the exception. They go on and come off on their own.

If Office isn’t listed at all, you probably have the Microsoft Store version. See the Store section below.

Method 2: the Get Help troubleshooter, Microsoft’s Office uninstall tool

It needs Windows 10 or 11.

• Go to the official Uninstall Office from a PC page on the PC you want to clean.
• On the Click-to-Run tab, find the uninstall troubleshooter section and click the Uninstall button.
• When the browser shows “This site is trying to open Get Help”, click Open.
• Follow the prompts. The troubleshooter checks whether you have a Click-to-Run, MSI or Store install and removes it.
• Restart when told. Some cleanup finishes only after the reboot.

Or open the Get Help app from Start and search for Uninstall Microsoft 365. It reaches the same troubleshooter.

For a home user this is the smoothest option there is. No questions about install types, and no commands.

There are two catches.

• It can’t take off Office 2024. Microsoft’s page states it plainly. Use Method 1, then Method 3.
• It needs the internet. Get Help downloads the scenario when you start it. On a plane, or behind a firewall that blocks Microsoft endpoints, it just spins.

In that case, finish the job with the command line tool from Method 3.

Run the troubleshooter on the PC that has Office. It can’t clean a machine remotely, and it needs Windows 10 or later.

SetupProd_OffScrub.exe: what it is and where to get it safely

SetupProd_OffScrub.exe is the setup file of Microsoft’s own Office uninstall tool. Older guides call it the SaRA Office removal tool. It is not a third-party cleaner.

Microsoft retired the Support and Recovery Assistant and folded its scenarios into Get Help.

The SaRA command line utility was removed from Windows updates released on and after March 10, 2026. GetHelpCmd.exe covers all of its scenarios.

SetupProd_OffScrub.exe was the SaRA-based installer that older guides link to. Microsoft’s uninstall page now opens Get Help.

SetupProd_OffScrub.exe download: the only safe source

Get it from Microsoft’s Uninstall Office from a PC page and nowhere else. Its button starts the troubleshooter, now part of Get Help. Admins who want the command line edition get it from Microsoft Learn.

A file named SetupProd_OffScrub.exe on any other site is a repackaged copy. Microsoft doesn’t publish it there, and you can’t tell what was added to it.

How to use SetupProd_OffScrub.exe today

1. Close every Office app first, Outlook included.
2. Open Microsoft’s uninstall page and select the button that starts the uninstall troubleshooter.
3. If the browser says the site is trying to open Get Help, click Open.
4. Follow the prompts on the remaining screens.
5. Restart the PC when the tool asks you to.

Microsoft lists Microsoft 365 and Office 2016 through 2021 for this troubleshooter. It needs Windows 10 or later.

Common SetupProd_OffScrub.exe errors and what they mean

• Office 2024 stays installed. Microsoft states that the uninstall troubleshooter can’t remove Office 2024 yet. Use Settings first, then the command line edition with the 2024 version switch from Method 3.
• Nothing happens after the download. The browser prompt to open Get Help was dismissed. Start again from the button and allow it.
• Office is only partly removed. Microsoft’s advice is to finish with a manual uninstall. The steps are in the sections below.
• Code 06, 08 or 09 in the command line. Office apps are still running, several versions were found, or removal failed. The full list is under the result codes in Method 3.

In practice:

• Scripts that call SaRAcmd.exe need to call GetHelpCmd.exe. The scenario name, OfficeScrubScenario, and the switches stay the same.
• An old copy of the SaRA installer on a USB stick may still run on some machines. But Microsoft doesn’t point to it any more. It wasn’t built for Office 2024, either.
• Don’t download it from third-party mirrors. Repackaged “Office removal tools” often carry adware. Get the tool only from support.microsoft.com or Microsoft Learn.

Method 3: GetHelpCmd.exe, the Office uninstall tool from the command line

It runs silently. That makes it the tool for Office 2024 and for scripted cleanups.

1. Open Microsoft Learn’s page on Office uninstall with the command line version of Get Help and download the tool.
2. Extract it to a short path.
3. Click Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt and choose Run as administrator. Without elevation the tool stops with code 10.
4. Go to the folder with the first line below.
5. Run the line that matches your goal. Then restart the PC.

cd C:\Tools\GetHelpCmd
GetHelpCmd.exe -S OfficeScrubScenario -AcceptEula
GetHelpCmd.exe -S OfficeScrubScenario -AcceptEula -OfficeVersion All
GetHelpCmd.exe -S OfficeScrubScenario -AcceptEula -OfficeVersion M365
GetHelpCmd.exe -S OfficeScrubScenario -AcceptEula -OfficeVersion 2024

The version switch also takes the years 2021, 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010 and 2007. Switches aren’t case-sensitive.

With two or more Office versions on the PC and no -OfficeVersion, the tool refuses to guess and exits with code 08. Pass an exact version, or All.

The result codes

The tool prints a two-digit code when it finishes. Code 00 tells you Office was removed and a restart is due.

Every other code tells you it stopped without removing anything, and why.

No prompts at all, which is the point. Microsoft’s own advice: the full Get Help app for one PC, the command line version when several devices are affected.

For many PCs, Microsoft Learn also offers sample scripts. They copy GetHelpCmd.exe to the client, run the scenario without prompts, then collect the session logs into one ZIP. Your deployment tool reads the two-digit code back.

GetHelpCmd.exe stops working after 90 days

Easy to miss. Each build of the command line version of Get Help stops working 90 days after the Created date of its GetHelpCmd.exe file. Microsoft does it on purpose, so nobody runs an old build.

A copy that worked in spring and fails now? Download it again from the same Microsoft Learn page. Keeping a copy on a USB stick or a file share? Refresh it before each big cleanup.

Reset Office activation without uninstalling

Sometimes Office is fine and only the license is stuck. On Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise we’d skip the scrub and use a separate scenario of the command line version, ResetOfficeActivation. It clears previous activations, licenses and cached account details. Apps stay. Then sign in with the right account.

GetHelpCmd.exe -S ResetOfficeActivation -AcceptEula -CloseOffice

Office closes on its own, since the scenario requires the -CloseOffice switch. Key-based editions such as Office 2021 or LTSC 2024 are outside this scenario, so for those see Method 4.

The Office Deployment Tool as an alternative

Admins who already deploy with the Office Deployment Tool often prefer it for removal too.

It works as an uninstaller, not a scrubber. So it doesn’t clean licensing leftovers the way GetHelpCmd.exe does.

• Create uninstall.xml next to setup.exe with the content below.
• Open Command Prompt as administrator in that folder.
• Run the configure line and restart when it finishes.

<Configuration>
  <Remove All="TRUE" />
  <Display Level="None" AcceptEULA="TRUE" />
</Configuration>

setup.exe /configure uninstall.xml

It suits a swap of Office on many PCs at once. One XML removes the old suite, and the next one installs the other.

If a machine still misbehaves afterwards, GetHelpCmd.exe goes deeper.

Method 4: the Office Scrubber script

A last resort. Office Scrubber comes from abbodi1406’s BatUtil project on GitHub.

The batch script wraps Microsoft’s own OffScrub scripts in a text menu. It covers Click-to-Run, MSI and Store installs of every version, 2024 included.

It isn’t a Microsoft product. We’d use it only after the official tools fail, and download it only from the author’s repository.

• Download the ZIP from the BatUtil repository on GitHub.
• Extract it to a short folder path, like the one in the table below.
• Right-click the script file and choose Run as administrator.
• In the menu, entries marked with {*} were detected on the PC. Toggle the ones to remove with the number keys.
• Start the scrub action. The script runs the matching OffScrub routine for each version.
• Restart when it finishes.

Besides the full scrub, the script has an option that clears only Office license data and leaves the apps in place.

That option suits an Office 2021 copy that drops to “product deactivated” after every reboot: a license reset, then one fresh activation with your own key.

Steps for that last part: our Office 2021 activation guide.

A full reinstall would take far longer, with no guarantee.

Running community scripts as administrator takes trust. Read what the menu option does before you press it, and keep the official tools as your first choice.

The Microsoft Store version of Office

Store installs are app packages, so they may not appear in Control Panel. Remove them from Settings, Apps first.

If that fails, right-click Start and open the admin terminal. Then run the two lines below.

Get-AppxPackage -name "Microsoft.Office.Desktop" | Remove-AppxPackage
Get-AppxPackage -name "Microsoft.Office.Desktop"

Some laptops from big brands ship an Office package that goes on again for every user profile. Removing it for one account isn’t enough there.

Add the all-users switch, or repeat the removal in each profile.

Removing Office 2024 completely

Use Settings, Apps first. It removes Office 2024 and LTSC 2024 normally.

If that fails or leaves the license behind, skip the Get Help troubleshooter. Run GetHelpCmd.exe with the 2024 switch as administrator.

Office 2024 has been on sale since October 1, 2024. It’s also the one version the friendly wizard can’t remove, so it needs its own steps.

If you’re putting 2024 back afterwards, our Office 2024 installation guide walks through the download and activation.

The Office Deployment Tool guide covers LTSC and Professional Plus installs that need a configuration file.

Checking that Office is gone

Check these places after the restart. If all of them are clean, Office is gone.

Not sure what you’re doing in the registry? Skip that row. A careless delete can break Windows.

Anything left over usually points to a second Office version or a Store package. Rerun the tool for that version.

If leftovers remain, run Method 3 once more with the all-versions switch. Still there after that? Microsoft’s uninstall page links to its manual removal steps.

When Office won’t come off

Most failed uninstalls come from four causes.

• An Office process still running.
• A damaged Windows Installer cache.
• A Store package that Windows won’t remove from Settings.
• A work account policy that blocks removal.

Find yours from the message and fix that cause. Then rerun the same method before reaching for a heavier tool.

For that last row, see our Click-to-Run service guide.

One rule: never run two uninstall methods at the same time. If Settings is stuck, cancel it or restart first.

Overlapping uninstallers fight over the same files and leave a bigger mess.

Switching from 32-bit to 64-bit

Office can’t change architecture in place. All Office apps on one PC must share the same bitness.

• Check the current build. File, Account, About Word shows “32-bit” or “64-bit”.
• Back up templates and signatures, as in the checklist above.
• Uninstall with Settings. If the 64-bit setup complains later, run Method 2 or 3.
• Restart.
• Put on the 64-bit build. On your account page, choose Other options and pick 64-bit.

With the Office Deployment Tool, set OfficeClientEdition="64" in the configuration.

Sometimes a plain uninstall leaves registry entries that make the 64-bit installer refuse to start. A full scrub clears them.

Usual trigger? A huge Excel workbook with heavy calculations. Microsoft says 64-bit Office might perform better there, and that 32-bit apps can get as little as 2 GB of virtual address space.

After the scrub and a reboot, the 64-bit build behaves as it would on a fresh PC.

On a Mac: no Office uninstall tool needed

The Windows tools don’t run on macOS. Mac Office leaves far less behind, so this goes quicker.

• Quit every Office app and open Finder, Applications.
• Command-click the Office apps and move them to the Trash.
• In Finder, press Shift + Command + G and open the first folder from the table below. Remove the folders that belong to Microsoft Office apps.
• Open the second folder and remove the Microsoft Office group folders. Back up Outlook data first if you keep it locally.
• Empty the Trash and restart.

Microsoft’s support site has a separate article for removing Office license files on a Mac.

When you put Office back, we’d take a current build and keep it updated. The Microsoft update guide shows how.

Keys for the Mac side are in our Office for Mac category.

After the Office uninstall tool: reinstalling Office

Restart, confirm the cleanup with the checklist above, and put on the version you want.

Moving Office to another PC? Free the license first. Our guide to transferring Office to a new computer covers deactivation, activation on the new PC and moving Outlook data.

Installing a fresh copy afterwards is covered in how to activate Office 2024; the editions are compared in Office 2024 Professional Plus vs Home and Business.

Which Office uninstall tool for which case

The deeper the method, the more it removes, so we stop at the first one that works. Each one below is described with its exact steps and what it leaves behind.

Quick answers

Common Office uninstall tool mistakes

• Reaching for a scrub when Quick Repair would have done it.
• Skipping the copy of templates and signatures.
• Starting a second uninstaller while the first is still stuck.
• Running the Get Help troubleshooter against Office 2024.
• Opening a plain Command Prompt. The tool needs an elevated one.
• Grabbing a “removal tool” from a third-party mirror.
• Skipping the restart at the end.
• Starting a full scrub with no product key saved for a key-based edition.

Related guides

• How to delete McAfee on Windows 11
• There is a problem with this Windows Installer package

Terms used on this page